Agenda,
Tuesday 11 May after the Induction Service (7:30pm)
Minutes
of the 2003 Annual General Meeting, and Matters Arising from the minutes
Hon President's report, followed by Questions to Honorary President
Hon Treasurer's report
Hon Secretary's report
Area Reports
(Bilton; Starbeck & Woodlands; Town Centre; South West; Pannal; Lower
Dale) - see Who's Who page
Election of Officers:
* Hon President: Neil Spencer
* Hon President elect: Rev Brian Hunt
* Hon Secretary: Humph Baker
* Hon Treasurer: Kath Plant
* Exec Committee: Rev Alan Bolton, Rev Paul Hooper, Ernest Stephens, David
Henthorne and Paul Tennyson
* Retiring past President: Jo Grande
Election of Auditor - Bob Sayles
Meeting dates for 2004/5:
* Executive Committee: 13 July, 7:30pm, St Mark's vicarage
* Steering Council: to follow
President's
report
Rev
Paul Hooper expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the wider
church through this year as president of CT. He cited the various events
of the year including the Good Friday acts of witness across the town
- noting the Starbeck and Woodlands walk of witness as well as the Town
Centre event.
He noted that
Harrogate was seeing new members joining the churches through the website,
and described how he had enjoyed developing stronger links with the many
initiatives of CT over the decades, reconnecting with many of the roots
of the ecumenical work.
He was grateful to Ernest Stephens and all involved with the Meals for
the Homeless project and noted that further consultation was under way
to examine the way forward for this work.
Paul reiterated his gratitude to all who had made the Annual
Assembly a success, noting the contributions of Jean McQuarry, Rev
John Carter and Phil Willis MP.
Treasurer's
Report
Kath
Plant noted that income of £865 represented subscriptions [of £25
per church] for 30 churches and includes generations additions. The AGM
was reminded that rebates are available Area Groups where all churches
have paid their subs; only S&W and South Area have claimed a rebate.
The meeting discussed the position of Area Councils claiming rebates from
previous years with an agreed conclusion that Area Groups should claim
within the financial year (1 April to 31 March). Area councils are to
be invited to write and confirm that that their right for a rebate is
to be waived if it is unclaimed during that time.
Any Area Groups wishing to claim their rebate (of £10 per church)
should do so with notification of the bank account name, address and account
number from the treasurer.
Thanks were expressed publicly for Bob Sayles generosity in auditing the
accounts and a vote was duly taken to confirm CTH's desire for him to
continue in this role.
Secretary's
Report
The
secretary reported that the constitutional meetings (Steering Councils,
AGM and the Annual Assembly) had been held and that details of dates were
listed on the Who's Who page of the
website. To enable the 90% of Harrogate to discover more of what is going
on in the churches, brochure detailing Services at Christmas
and Easter were issued to hotels, Tourist
Information Centres and many other public buildings; thanks were expressed
to all for making these brochures possible.
The News and Events pages of the website were
now detailing many more events and services enabling every church to find
out and print off the latest details including contact info. While Mailings
continue, they have reduced in number. Correspondence has now included
emails - many asking for publicity for events, and much of this has been
dealt with on receipt simply by adding the event to the website.
We now enjoy stronger ecumenical work in Harrogate through United
Gigs (youth leaders working together to bring contemporary Christian music
concerts to the town). Some events have seen hundred of our secondary
school students screaming with delight at the opportunity to worship together.
Church Trails brochure is planned for development this summer.
The website now welcomes many visitors: 3000 hits since last year.
News and Events pages regularly updated, and the many reports
include the GM Debate, Dr Neil Richardson, Steve Chalke and, of course,
the Lent lunch series. The Church and Service Lists have been upgraded
with pics of each church in the area, and, with a new Regional map, there
are links across North Yorkshire.
Issues requiring action or consultation included Software, DPA,
Cyber insurance. CT has its own copy of Dreanmweaver, scanner and a memory
stick for space efficient archiving. CT is understood not to need to register
for Data Protection due to the avoidance of any records of a pastoral
nature. Cyber insurance covers many issues but is understood to be unnecessary
at this stage.
Development opportunities include a Members' area and search facilities
(due to the growing wealth of information now available). Since the existing
website runs as a sub-directory there is no easy possibility for a site
search facility, so the web address "www.ctharrogate.org.uk"
has been purchased with a view to investigating the possibility of a move
at some point.
The regional links continue to grow, and with their being no umbrella
website for the whole of North Yorkshire a second web address "www.ctny.org.uk"
has been obtained. The secretary asked the AGM if this was a team opportunity
- suggestions for those willing to catch the vision and form a working
group would be most welcome.
Youth
for Christ Report
We
have had growing opportunities in schools, as well as new opportunities
coming our way from secular youth agencies wanting us to bring a Spiritual
dimension to their work.
New opportunities coming up will include a fairly in depth youth worker
training programme, and as well as a training programme for young people
to evangelise to their peers. We will also be examining our approach over
coming months to the way in which we can support local Church youth work
more effectively.
United Gigs
is growing both in partnerships as well as the amount of gigs we put on.
Ideas are always welcome as excitement for this project is growing rapidly.
We have currently stopped our monthly youth event (Ablaze @ HYPeR), but
would like feedback on whether some form of termly youth event would be
appreciated by local Churches.
Do also please visit our website, which is still in production stage at:
http://harrogateyfc.tripod.com.
Any comments, suggestions and feedback always welcome. Andy Wilson
HYPeR
Report
Praise
God for His oversight of this important project. The last twelve months
has seen a very considerable growth in the number of young people using
HYPeR.
We have seen the same faces many times and so are beginning to relate
to the young regulars. They come from nearly all the schools in Harrogate
and the Army Foundation College including a large number from Granby High
School.
Many times we have had over 100 on a Saturday evening and this
has led us to implement the membership scheme originally planned. It has
also put our volunteer team under pressure as these numbers really need
a minimum of seven staff to function on a disco evening.
Thanks are due to the volunteers who come from most if not all
the church streams in Churches Together. They do wonderful work and really
are grateful for your prayers. Thanks are also due to those congregations
who consistently pray and give towards HYPeR. Prayers and giving from
churches underpins our work. The church based giving actually pays our
rent and some of the running costs. Other income comes from rent paid
by other people serving organisations and a small profit from sales. This
latter money is often used to update our CD collection.
Salaries are now becoming a major part of our needs. We are grateful
for gifts from Groundlevel Churches and York and North Yorkshire Community
Foundation. These have enabled us to pay session workers during the school
holidays and will contribute to regular session workers. Our aim is to
employ full time staff but will have to wait for more money.
We are employing Jo Nevett part time in a strictly admin role.
She continues her fantastic work as a volunteer. Indeed all the volunteers
are fantastic and if you want to join us please let us know. The work
is hard but really rewarding when you begin to see these young people
as individuals not just a large mass of teenagers.
Recently we have had training to equip some of our volunteer staff
with food hygiene certification and all our current volunteers
have or are being police checked. We hope to arrange more training for
staff
Your prayers are very highly valued for HYPeR. We need The Lord's
enabling as we work with these young people, most of whom have no Christian
understanding at all. We need more volunteers, money and energy. We need
wisdom as we appoint paid staff.
Thank you for your consistent and substantial support for what, while
being vulnerable to availability of staff and cash and the unpredictable
nature of working with young people, can only be described as a success
in The Lord. David Henthorne, on behalf of the executive.
Harrogate
and Knaresborough Jubilee Debt Campaign
About a year ago, as the G8
gathered for their annual forum, a small group out of Harrogate Churches
met in Wesley Chapel for reflection and prayer, focussing on poverty,
unsustainable debt, injustice, wealth, responsibility and God's will.
At our Autumn AGM, Rev. Tim Hurren was elected as our new Chairman,
with an enlarged Working Group and a recognition of our Knaresborough
wing in our title. A showing of a video, 'A Day to Remember' followed.
(This is available to borrow)
Our third set of postcards this year, has just been distributed
for signing, to make a 'CALL for CHANGE' to Gordon Brown. I am assured
postcards ARE effective.
A number of people have sent e-mails and letters throughout the year to
UK and other World leaders. Such pressure has recently prevented
certain powerful nations blocking a measure of cancellation for Niger
and Mozambique. Thanks to those who have acted faithfully in all these
ways, and for the responses we have received.
The President of Tanzania has recently sent greetings in a spirit of both
'gratitude' and 'solidarity', recognising the value of JDC's
work and explaining in detail how resources set free by a measure of debt
cancellation have been used to improve Health facilities, also to build
Primary schools and train teachers. Vastly more children are being offered
a basic Primary education now. However, he emphasises that so much
more could be done to reach Millennium Development goals with 100%
debt cancellation.
Links were kept with the wider campaign through our Co-ordinator
who attended an Autumn Speaker tour in Darlington, as well as the JDC
London AGM and information day.
Plans - World Debt Day, Sunday 16 May is almost here, with a request
for prayer around the churches regarding debt justice and related issues.
There is to be a JDC stand at Knaresborough Spring Fayre. (Green Dragon
Yard)
On Saturday 15 May campaigning is being planned outside St. Peter's Church,
with drama and displays inside. As well sending off cards, we shall join
the US/UK photo campaign inviting people, garlanded with red chains, to
send photos and letters to Tony Blair and George Bush. Beryl Tierney (Co-ordinator)
.
Heath
Lodge
... were pleased to open their Dementia Wing in December 2003. A new Brochure
produced and Heath Lodge will shortly have a page on this CT website
Bible
Society Action Group
In addition to the key events
of the last year, many churches have made good use of the Bible Society
Faith through
Learning materials - highly commended to the AGM.
Thursday
Evening Meals for the Homeless and Needy
Following consultation with those
involved with the Meals for the Homeless work and the Homeless
Project, a small group from the CT Exec are seeking options for the
future development of this good work. All thoughts are welcome; each of
the groups involved with the meals is being invited to provide their thoughts,
concerns and suggestions during June 2004.
Lent
Lunches
Lent Lunches this year followed
the theme of the Lord's prayer. Full report
available on this website. £267 was sent for Christian Aid.
It is hoped to repeat the event in 2004 with the theme 'the Practice of
Prayer'.
Local
Strategic Partnership
The recent update includes notes on a presentation given by Dr Albert
Day on Harrogate Health Care Trust's bid for Foundation Status. A full
report is available on the LSP
page of this website.
Church
restructuring within Harrogate
Following the St Peter's Lent
Lunches this year the secretary has received requests from church leaders
for some form of in depth conference for them to work through the issues
facing many of the individual churches and denominations. Several are
considering expensive development projects and others are exploring closer
ties or the merging of congregations. The AGM approved the go-ahead of
further planning to facilitate such an event.
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Last updated May 27, 2004 by Webmaster
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